


Split

by Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer



Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [20]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Aster Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Gen, I Am My Mom Gone Wrong, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Past Brainwashing, Past Character Death, Past Memory Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Renegades Steven Universe AU, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Steven Universe's Brother, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28984869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer/pseuds/Lucigoosey_The_Lightbringer
Summary: "Oh." The gem was silent for a moment. "Oh. Good. I mean-!" He snapped his gaze back up to Steven, looking at him almost nervously for a second, and seemed to clutch his gem a little tighter. His wide eyes darted across Steven's face, looking guilty. "Not good. I just- me, too."| Post-IASU (I Am Steven Universe.)
Relationships: Steven Universe & Aster Universe
Series: Renegades (Steven Universe: Homeworld AU) [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918204
Comments: 32
Kudos: 36





	Split

"You…" Steven let out a sharp huff, the air forced from his lungs, as a bout of nervous laughter bubbled up to his chest, escaping from his mouth before he had the sense to silence himself.

His pink clone looked back at him, looked _through_ him, really, and his eyebrows creased together after a moment, crawling like pink, fuzzy caterpillars across his forehead, as his pinprick pupils darted rapidly across Steven's face in swift, terrified motions. His eyes went to the half gem embedded in the hybrid's stomach, then back up to his face, and then down to where his own half of the gem rested. The horror in his gaze was such a stark contrast to his earlier emotionless display that Steven found himself growing dizzy just trying to comprehend it. He sank back sharply, arms trembling as his hands held him up against the ground, the top half of his body suddenly feeling like a dead weight against his trembling fingers, yet he held steady.

The gem stared for a moment, mouth open in shock, then snapped it shut with a _click._

Steven swallowed, feeling his throat throb as he clenched his jaw and forced in a lungful of air through his nose, his mind whirling, thoughts fleeting back and forth with rapid, dizzying succession. He stared at the gem in front of him, his pink clone's wide, scared, watchful gaze, and felt his pounding heart sink a little deeper in his chest. "Oh… shards…" He managed to breathe, throat restricting violently as he forced his shaking hands to push himself up a bit more.

His pink clone blinked back at him, magenta lashes falling rapidly against pale pink skin as the gem pushed himself up, mirroring Steven's movements a bit clumsier. Steven stopped to watch him, drawing his eyebrows together as the other heaved himself up onto his knees, breath hitching with each inhale, and collapsed back against his feet, knees thudding against the floor. He looked down at his hands, inspecting them as if for the first time, and Steven watched his pupils widen a little further, blown wide for a moment, before they shrank and shifted into question marks. That alone startled Steven enough to draw another sharp huff of air from his lips, which in turn caused his pink clone to look back up at him so fast the hybrid flinched a little.

He blinked, question mark pupils turning back to normal, and drew his arms closer to himself, hands folding carefully against the gem on his stomach. Steven glanced down, watching for a moment longer, then forced himself to shift onto his own knees, resting there carefully for a moment. "I don't…" He shook his head, baffled, and glanced his other half over carefully. "Are… you… we? M- Me? Are you…" The hybrid worked his jaw for a moment, mouth opening and closing, then shook his head furiously and brought his gaze back to the other's. "Who _are_ you?"

"I'm… me." His pink clone managed to look a little awed by that for a second, but that rapidly faded back into a startling mixture of panic and concern. "But that's not… are you alright?"

"I'm-" Steven managed another laugh, a little more frantic now, "I- I'm _confused_."

"Oh." The gem was silent for a moment. "Oh. Good. I mean-!" He snapped his gaze back up to Steven, looking at him almost nervously for a second, and seemed to clutch his gem a little tighter. His wide eyes darted across Steven's face, looking guilty. "Not good. I just- me, too."

Steven stared at him in disbelief for a moment, wondering what had happened to the cold, seemingly emotionless gem he had encountered before, but his surprise was quick to fizzle out to a certain amount of… fondness? Sympathy? He wasn't sure. But he knew one thing, gazing back at his pink clone, and that was that, all of a sudden, he felt like he was staring at someone he'd known his whole life, a friend he'd always known - family, even. Someone he grew up with. Which, technically, he supposed he did. But he felt like he really, truly _knew_ his other half. Like they'd been side by side, together like _this_ , for about as long as Steven himself could remember.

"Well…" Releasing a sigh through clenched teeth, Steven managed to angle his lips upwards at the corners in a cautious smile at the pink gem in front of him. "That makes two of us. At least we're on the same page, right?" He searched his gaze for a moment, taking in the terror and confusion written there, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. "At least… are you okay? I mean… you know, aside from being… confused and all… I mean, does it… does it hurt?" He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the gem, then looked down at his own. The sight still made him queasy.

"Hurt?" His pink clone echoed, almost dubiously.

"The gem. You…" Steven stopped, swallowing. "... when Melanite…"

The gem's expression shifted at once. He stared at Steven blankly for a moment, narrowed eyes roaming across the hybrid's face, and Steven caught a brief glimpse of the somewhat terrifying gem that had met him in Yellow Diamond's hands earlier, the gem that had crushed Melanite to dust. "No…" He trailed off, frowning. "It… did… _hurt_. But it doesn't anymore." There was a pause, as Steven sank back and let himself bask in the relief of that for a moment, and then his pink clone narrowed his eyes again and lifted his hand from his gem, digging his fingers into the scar beside it instead while his gaze trailed down to Steven's stomach. "Do you… hurt?"

"No," Steven replied softly, chest aching as he forced out a quiet, strained breath. He managed another smile, despite the fear still pounding strong in his chest. "Hey, at least this time I'm not dying, right?" He dropped his gaze, focusing on the half of the gem embedded in his stomach. With a cold feeling crawling down his spine, he mumbled, "but what does this mean…?"

"We," his pink clone began, and frowned. "We're… split."

Steven shook his head a little, confusion weighing down against his shoulders like a warm, heavyweight blanket. He moved again, shifting to sit back completely, and crossed his legs.

He gazed at his other half for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, then mumbled, "I don't get it."

The pink gem tilted his head at him, silent. His eyes strayed for a second, no longer looking as terrified, but still definitely looking confused; Steven watched his wide gaze roam over the dark, empty walls of the room they were trapped in, until his eyes ended up focusing on the window.

"We have time," he finally replied, and Steven almost laughed.

Yeah, they had time.

They had a whole month.


End file.
